The Set-Up

Stoker, a jaded boxing manager, expects trouble to strike on a night that could make or break his small operation. Seeking a quick fix to keep the books balanced, he leaks to a ruthless betting kingpin that he will influence the outcome of a pivotal match, hoping to skim the winnings and stay ahead of the bookies. He keeps this scheme hidden from his lead fighter, a rising contender kept in the dark about the deal. Julie, the manager’s tough, loyal partner, watches with growing unease as the plan tightens its grip on everyone involved. The setup becomes a pressure cooker where pride, loyalty, and foul play collide, threatening to ruin what the boxer has worked years to build.

Directed by Robert Wise and released in 1949, The Set-Up adapts a short story by Joseph Moncure March with a screenplay by Art Cohn. The production is lean, shot largely on studio floors with minimal sets to heighten intensity. The cast includes Robert Ryan as Stoker, Audrey Totter as Julie, George Tobias as Tiny, Alan Baxter as Little Boy, and Wallace Ford as Gus, delivering compact performances that suit the film's economical style.

Box office data for The Set-Up is not widely documented, and the film is better known for its critical reputation and influence within film noir rather than its commercial performance.

Cultural impact: The Set-Up is frequently cited in film noir discussions for its spare style and blunt morality. Its boxing sequences, shot in shadow and silence, helped define how sport and corruption meet on screen and has earned placement on critics' noir lists.

Reception & themes: Critics note the film's stark moral center and tight pacing. It focuses on temptation and loyalty, showing how choices made under pressure ripple through a small circle of players beyond the ring. The Set-Up probes power, greed, and consequence while keeping the human drama at its core.